Slicing machine



Jam 2 1934.

W. J. BARNES El AL SLICING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16-. 1951 I N/EN TOR WAL TON J. BARNES HERMHN q W/NKLER ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 2, 1934 UNITED QFFICE SLICIN G MACHINE of Michigan Application February 16, 1931.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a slicing machine and has to do with an improved mechanism for acting upon the material being sliced. Particularly the invention is concerned with a slicing machine 5 of the gauge plate type wherein the sliced material is pushed up against the plate, and the position of this plate relative to the cutting edge of the knife determines the slice thickness. The invention resides principally in improved mecha- 0 nism for pushing the article or articles being sliced in this manner.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a slicing machine illustrating the general features of such slicing machine showing the pusher mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 Ban elevational view showing more distinctly the mounting for the pusher, the view'looking in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the pusher mechanism with some parts cut away.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detailed View of the structure on the carriage for supporting the pusher.

Fig. 6 is a view of the pusher mechanism looking from the right hand side of Fig. 2.

Fig. '7 is an end view showing some of the structure, the View being taken along line 7--7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a modified arrangement.

The slicing machine comprises essentially a base 1, a rotary disk knife 2 covered in part by a housing 3; its front face may be covered by a guard plate 4. A guideway 5 is carried by the base, .and slidable upon the guideway is the carriage 6 reciprocable between stops 7, operable by handle 8, and the carriage has a receptacle or trough 9 for receiving the material to be sliced. The gauge plate is at 10.

The general structure thus described is known inthe art, and insofar as the present invention is concerned, is subject to structural variations. The material in the trough 9 is urged up against the gauge plate which is positioned in a plane slightly to the rear of the exposed cutting edge of the knife, and then as the carriage is moved from left to'right the material is slicedby the knife. l/Vhere the knife 2 is recessed the guard plate 4 is provided and the material slides against the guard plate. The gauge plate is adjustable relative to the plane of the knife by means (not shown) to thus determine slice thickness, and suitable means such as a motor or the like (not shown) may be provided for rotating the knife. The motor, how- Serial No. 515,976

ever, is not shown and it is usually positioned on the opposite side of the knife and housing from that as viewed in Fig. 1.

The pusher or face plate for pushing the material up against the gauge plate takes the form of a pusher plate 20 which may be provided with teeth 21. This pusher plate is incorporated in a structure so that the pusher plate is arranged to be pressed toward the gauge plate either by a spring or other power means, and the structure is preferably removable. For this purpose the face plate 20 is carried by an arm 22 having two spaced supporting legs 23 and 24 sleeved upon a tube 25. The tube is provided with an elongated opening as at 26, and within the tube is a plunger 27 which has a part which projects through the slot and abuts the leg 24 near where it is sleeved upon the tube. Positioned Within the tube and between the plunger 2'? and the end of the tube which is plugged, as at 28, is a spring 29.

The tube is carried by a supporting bracket 30, as by means of being clamped in collars 31 which may be slit and tightly secured to the tube by screws 32. This bracket is preferably removably held by the carriage. For this purpose the carriage may be provided with an aperture boss 33 and with faces 34,, one of which may be located on each side of the boss. The faces 34 are at an angle to the aperture in the boss. The bracket 30 is equipped with a pin 35 and on each side of the pin it may be a surface or face 36, designed to make contact with the surfaces 34 of the carriage.

When in operative position the bracket 30 has its pin 35 located in the apertured boss while the surfaces 36 abut surfaces 34. As perhaps best 90 illustrated in Fig. 2, the aperture of the boss 33 is angularly disposed so that as the pin 35 moves into it the bracket 30 not only has a downward movement, but a movement towards the carriage. When the bracket is moved or positioned into final position the surfaces 36 wedge against the surfaces 34, thus giving the bracket a secure three-point contact with the carriage holding it fixedly as regards the carriage. To remove the bracket it is merely lifted to retract the pin out 100 of the aperture. 7

The spring in the tube is for the purpose of pushing the face plate or pusher plate 20 toward the gauge plate, and accordingly, with the article being sliced positioned in front of the face plate the article is urged against the gauge plate. The spring is preferably designed so that it will push the face plate all the way up to the gauge plate, or in other words, is effective to push the face plate through its entire range of movement. As

shown in Fig. 6 the plug 28 is provided with a hand-piece which extends out through an elongated slot 41, and which is provided with a number of notches i2 and 43. Two notches are shown but more may be provided or one may be sufficient in some instances. By pushing the handle 40 forward the plug is moved and the spring is compressed and then the handle may be caught in either notch 42 or notch 43.

This is for the purpose of providing for pushing the face with greater power in some instances than in others. Some foods are very soft, such as for example, soft meats-and in this case the spring may be in its extended position, or in other words, with the plug 28 positioned to the rear of the tube 25. For other articles to be sliced, which are rather hard, as for example, ham, the spring may be compressed so as to exert greater force, in which event the plug would be moved forward either to notch 42 or 43'. In any event, resetting of the spring is not necessary, for with the plug positioned at the end of the tube 25 the spring will urge the pusher plate to its forwardmost position, or in other words, to the limit of its travel toward the gauge plate.

In handling a large piece of meat which may be fairly long, and even longer than the tray 9, the entire pusher plate assembly may be quickly removed by just pulling out the pin 35, or in other words by merely lifting the pusher plate assembly. The long piece of meat may then be urged forward by the hand of the operator. As the same becomes shortened in the slicing operation, the pusher plate assembly may be quickly located whereupon the spring-pressed pusher face may be utilized to urge the small or butt end of the article against the gauge plate and knife. With large articles being sliced there is no danger of the operator being cut by pushing such large article up against the slicing machine, but when the article is small so that the operators fingers are close to the knife, the face plate assembly may be employed so that it is not necessary for the operator to run the risk of being cut by the slicing machine knife.

It is preferable that means be provided for holding the pusher plate retracted against the action of spring 29, and this is accomplished by a catch or the like which holds it retracted regardless of whether or not the assembly is mounted upon the carriage. For this purpose a catch shown in the form of a spring 45, secured to the bracket 36 having a shoulder 46 and a cam face 4'7. Upon the leg 34 is an abutment 48. When the face plate is retracted the lug 48 will catch behind shoulder 46 and hold the face plate retracted. This is advantageous because the face plate may be held retracted while the entire assembly is removed from the carriage and then when it is restored the face place is held back. This permits easy replacement of the assembly even though a small piece of the article or butt end lies in the trough 9, and after the assembly has been placed upon the carriage, the face plate may be released either by depressing the spring or by rocking the face plate upon the tube.

The legs 24 are swiveled upon the tube so that the face plate may be swung around the tube as an axis. This permits of swinging the face plate out of the trough without removing the entire structure. The swinging movement is limited as by means of a stop 50 carried on leg 24., and a projection 51 on the bracket 30. As shown in Fig. 4 the arm 22 is in operating position and it may be swung counter-clockwise as Fig. 4 is viewed through an angle of slightly more than 90 in which position it will remain by reason of the fact that at this time the weight is overbalanced so as to keep the stop 50 up against projection 51.

Accordingly, the entire pusher plate assembly is very quickly removable so that long pieces of material may be sliced, and it is very quickly replaced to complete the slicing of the butt end, and in some instances the pusher plate assembly need not be entirely removed for long pieces of substance, as the face plate may merely be swung out of the way. Moreover, the face plate is pushed by the spring, and although the spring is capable of being adjusted for compression it will push the face plate all the way up to the gauge plate in any adjusted position. A compression spring is shown, but it is within the invention to employ a tension spring.

A different arrangement may be employed wherein the face plate is not mounted to rock upon the tube. This is illustrated in Fig. 8 wherein the stop 50a is positioned to just slightly clear abutment 51 so as to strike the same and prevent any substantial rocking or rotary movement. In some of the claims appended hereto use is made of the term axis tube, and as so used this is intended to cover the tube in a structure such as shown in Fig. 8 wherein there is no substantial rotary movement.

We claim:

1. In a slicing machine, the combination with a knife, a gauge plate, a carriage for moving material past the cutting edge of the knife, of an apertured boss on the carriage, an abutment face fit] on the carriage extending at an angle to the aperture, a bracket,- a stud on the bracket adapted to be received in the aperture, an abutment face on the bracket for wedging against the abutment face on the carriage,- and a face plate carried by the bracket and reciprocable with respect thereto.

2. In a slicing machine, the combination with a knife, gauge plate,- and carriage, of means on the carriage provided with an aperture, an abutment face on each side of the aperture eX-tend- 3 20 ing at an angle to the aperture, a bracket,- a stud on the bracket for fitting into the aperture, an abutment face on the bracket, one on each side of the stud for Wedging against the abutment faces on the carriage, a face plate, and means i2 5 reciprocably mounting the face plate ,to the bracket.

3. In a slicing machine having a knife, gauge plate and carriage,- means on the carriage for supporting an axis tube, a face plate, supporting devices for the face plate sleeved upon the tube, means on the supporting structure extending within the tube, a spring within the tube acting upon said means to urge the face plate toward the gauge plate, reaction means at one end of 13-5 the spring, an elongated slot in the tube, and a handle device connected to the reaction means capable of movement in the slot to vary the spring tension, and means for positioning the handle in different positions in the slot. M0

4. In a slicing machine having a knife, gauge plate and carriage,- means on the carriage for supporting an axis tube, a face plate, supporting devices for the face plate sleeved upon the tube, means on the supporting structure extending within the tube, a spring within the tube acting upon said means to urge the face plate toward the gauge plate, reaction means at one end of the spring, an elongated slot in the tube, and a handle device to vary the spring tension, and a plurality of notches in the slot in which said handle means may be engaged.

5. In a slicing machine, the combination with a knife, a gauge plate and carriage, of a bracket detachably mounted to the carriage, an axis tube carried by the bracket, a spring in the tube, a face plate, supporting means for the face plate sleeved upon the tube to both reciprocate thereon and rock thereon, said spring serving to push the face plate toward the gauge plate and knife, a catch for holding the face plate against the action of the spring, said catch being located to hold the face plate when the face plate is retracted from the gauge plate.

6. In a slicing machine having a knife, gauge plate and carriage, means on the carriage for supporting an axis tube, said tube having a slot, a face plate, supporting devices for the face plate sleeved upon the tube, means in the tube having a part extending through the slot into abutting engagement with a supporting device for the face plate, a spring within the tube acting upon said means to urge the face plate toward the gauge plate, and means for varying the action of the spring.

7. In a slicing machine, the combination with a knife, a gauge plate and carriage, of a bracket detachably mounted to the carriage, an axis tube with a slot carried by the bracket, a spring in the tube, a face plate, supporting means for the face plate sleeved upon the tube to both reciprocate thereon and rock thereon, a plunger in the tube having a part projecting through the slot into abutting relationship with the supporting means for the face plate, said spring serving to push the face plate toward the gauge plate and knife. and a catch for holding the face plate against the action of the spring.

WALTON J. BARNES. HERMAN G. WINKLER. 

